Cudia City is remembered as much for the Hollywood glamour it bestowed on the fledgling desert city as the Westerns produced there. Located at the northwest corner of Camelback Road and 40th Street, the replica frontier town was a well-trafficked film and TV production spot from 1939 until it was redeveloped in the 1960s.

Cudia City’s cinematic highlight was its last major production: the ABC television show 26 Men. The 78-episode series starring Tris Coffin ran for three years in the late 1950s and was based on the adventures of the Arizona Rangers who brought bad guys to justice during territorial days. The show proved popular with viewers and, when its cast wandered off the set for lunch one day, created a skewed impression of the Valley for one newcomer. “I remember in 1957 going to the drugstore at 44th Street and Camelback and seeing various cowboys in full costume at the lunch counter,” says Milly Bolek, who had just moved from Cleveland. “I thought to myself, ‘People sure dress like authentic cowboys out here in Phoenix!”

Besides fans of the Western genre, 26 Men has also drawn notice from those seeking views of Camelback Mountain and other natural Valley landmarks before they became gilded with mansions and five-star resorts.

History (What Others Are Reading)

Tony DeMarco's fame as a former world boxing champ made his lounge on Camelback Road a thriving hangout in the 1970s.

Messing with the bartender is seldom a good idea, but it's especially inadvisable when the guy mixing cocktails was an illustrious prizefighter with a legendary left hook. Not that renowned welterweight Tony DeMarco ever used it at the Living Room… Read More +

Now a world-class resort, John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch on Camelback Mountain courted the rich and famous during the sport's 1970s boom.
Most of us know the phrase "if walls could talk," but if the ceiling of the recently renovated Jade Bar at Sanctuary Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley could talk, Read More +

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On the cusp of Arizona’s Centennial, a Phoenix woman is working to end age discrimination by celebrating Arizonans over age 100.
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Santa Fe and Taos are famous for their arts scenes, but the surrounding slopes make a scenic ski escape for bunny-slopers to black-diamond daredevils.It starts with a soft chant somewhere up on the dark, snow-covered ski slope. “TOOORCH-light….… Read More +

As the constitutionality of Arizona’s ethnic studies classes law is debated in court, the question still simmers: How can schools teach American history without marginalizing – or militarizing – some groups of students? Read More +

Arizona boasts some of the toughest DUI laws in the nation. But how tough is too tough?Beverly Mason Biggers has a good reason – the most personal of reasons, in fact – for devoting herself to the fight… Read More +

It was a banner year for the Valley dining scene – such an abundance of great new restaurants, in fact, that PHOENIX magazine was forced to cut several worthy candidates from our final roster. It was agonizing, but we… Read More +

Contrary to popular belief, "eating well" and "spending little" can be synonymous. From $4 meatball hoagies to low-dollar delicacies from the best local kitchens, we present this definitive guide to the Valley's most bodacious bargain cuisine.

These days, beer is increasingly nudging wine aside as the preferred food-pairing potation. So it’s fitting that Scottsdale-based Sonoran Brewing Company is teaming up with four Valley chefs to brew small batch beers (1,000 bottles or less) made with local… Read More +

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In PHOENIX Magazine discover the best of what the valley has to offer from the Best New Restaraunts and Top Doctos the Great Escapes and scenic getaways. In addition to a monthly print edition, the deal includes online, iPad and Kindle access.